Ducklett Line/B2W2
Ducklett is a guaranteed catch on Driftveil Drawbridge in both games. The encounter is sometimes triggered when walking in the bridge shadows. Being both a guaranteed catch and good to use against the impending fifth gym, one of the most dangerous in the game, Ducklett is likely to have made it on a few nuzlocke teams for the short term, offering great coverage right off the bat and an evolution that does not come all that late. The problem? It also falls short on nearly everything else: the transformation of the ugly duckling into a swan does not quite do the tale great justice, as Swanna's stats are average at best. While sporting good, high-power moves, most of which it learns by level, Swanna is likely to turn out underwhelming against the major competition that it is given by the rest of the Water-types in the game; the Flying STAB is its only strong point, as its offensive is decent but not great, and its defensive prowess is really nothing exceptional. Swanna is definitely not the Pokémon that a beginner should be using; however, it provides an interesting challenge for the more experienced. Important Matchups - Challenge Mode = * Rood (Driftveil City): A Ducklett carrying an Eviolite, and lucky enough to confuse with Water Pulse, may be able to take on either Herdier or Swoobat. Both of them are powerful, and likely to wear down Ducklett regardless, so another team member will have to take over the following fight; Swoobat is the less threatening one, so Ducklett should preferably fight that and leave Herdier alone. * Gym #5 - Clay (Driftveil City, Ground-type): Krokorok is faster than Ducklett but can only 3HKO with Crunch, unless it gets the Defense drop, and Ducklett's Water Pulse is a 2HKO. Sandslash is strong and has decent bulk, as well as Rock Slide; avoid it, because Water Pulse is less likely to 2HKO and a three-stage Rollout is no fun. Excadrill is plain unthinkable for an unevolved Ducklett. On the plus side, an already evolved Swanna has an easy time against the first two, though fighting Onix and Excadrill is still risky: Onix has the deadly Sturdy and Explosion combo as well as Rock STAB, and while Swanna can outspeed Excadrill, it will only fall to two BubbleBeams and can OHKO with a critical Rock Slide, though not a regular one. * Hugh (Pokémon World Tournament): Hugh's Pokémon are not really threatening, as Swanna has Water STAB for everything except his own Water-type(s) and Flying STAB for them. * Cheren (Pokémon World Tournament, Normal-type): Cheren has a strong, sturdy team, but being overleveled helps greatly with tanking their hits, and Swanna should be able to pull it off. * Colress (Pokémon World Tournament): Only Colress' Magneton and Klink will be an issue for obvious reasons. Elgyem is easy enough. * Gym #6 - Skyla (Mistralton City, Flying-type): Spam Surf, win everything or almost, since against Skyla's own Swanna Flying STAB will be required. Sigilyph is the only real danger here, as it is faster than Swanna and can hit like bricks with Psychic; if Swanna has a Dark-type teammate, now is the time to use it. Be sure to bring healing items in case they are needed, as Swoobat's Acrobatics will still hit pretty hard. * Hugh (Undella Town): His team should not be too difficult; Unfezant's critical hits are really annoying, but it is about as frail as Swanna specially, and Swanna has better moves than it does. His Fire-types and Grass-types are easy pickings for the swan, but use Air Slash against Serperior and not a physical move, especially Fly, which would give Serperior room to set up with Coil. Lastly, be careful against Samurott, due to Slash; Air Slash outdamages it and is a near-certain 3HKO, but its critical hits can really dent Swanna. * Zinzolin (Lacunosa Town, tag battle with Hugh): From Swanna's perspective, Cryogonal is the Pokémon that is better off killing first: it has Reflect and Light Screen, plus Ice Beam which really, really hurts - it can OHKO with a critical hit and a high damage roll. Cryogonal can be KOed with two Aerial Aces or another physical move other than Fly, so that it has no time whatsoever to set up, hoping that Swanna outspeeds it (this depends on its nature and level). Golbat's Acrobatics will not be a joke to tank in the meantime, coming very close to a 2HKO, and Swanna is unlikely to hold its own in this battle for very long. Luckily, Zinzolin's Sneasel does not have Pursuit, so Swanna can switch out whenever needed, and probably should do so before Garbodor comes in; it is not too scary compared to the rest, but Sludge Bomb has a high chance of poisoning and the status alteration could turn the fight in the enemy's favour. * Gym #7 - Drayden (Opelucid City, Dragon-type): Swanna is incapable of learning Blizzard, which makes it very difficult for the swan to be of any use in this fight; everything on Drayden's team wrecks its frail defenses and can survive a Brave Bird, if not two. Haxorus in particular should be avoided at all costs, as it will use Swanna as Dragon Dance fodder. If Swanna must absolutely participate in this fight at all costs, the only thing it can do is go against Altaria, which is the least threatening of the bunch. * Zinzolin (Opelucid City): Cryogonal is faster than Swanna, but with a few more levels and/or a Speed-boosting nature, Swanna should be able to outspeed and Brave Bird it into oblivion. Same for the other Cryogonal. Do not try to do the same against Weavile, as it is much faster than Swanna and will kill it brutally with Night Slash with a critical hit, or even without if Swanna fought both Cryogonal before, as the Brave Bird recoil piles up swiftly; prepare a better counter for the ice weasel. * Shadow (Opelucid City): Dispose of the Pawniard with Surf, think twice about Absol: it has a really over-the-top Attack as well as Super Luck, and Night Slash critting is a terrifying thought. Use something stronger or bulkier if available. * Gym #8 - Marlon (Humilau City, Water-type): Swanna would take far too long to take down Carracosta, which can keep Shell Smashing easily; likewise, Wailord's Amnesia makes it really hard to take down, and Brave Bird will recoil for massive damage due to its high HP. Jellicent is more viable, but beware of possible Ominous Wind boosts; go the Brave Bird route and bring some heals just in case. Mantine is fairly harmless, just Brave Bird it into oblivion. * Zinzolin (Plasma Frigate, tag battle with Hugh): His team has not changed at all from Opelucid City. Bear in mind that Cryogonal can be one-shot if Swanna can outspeed it, but is otherwise best avoided, as Swanna could easily die if Ice Beam damage adds up to Brave Bird recoil. Another issue is the battle mode: in doubles, Swanna is much more vulnerable than in singles, since the enemy Pokémon can gang up on it unexpectedly; this makes Brave Bird extremely risky to use. Find something else for Weavile, as Swanna is inadequate. * Zinzolin (Plasma Frigate): The team is still the same; the two Cryogonal can be offed with Brave Bird if Swanna can outspeed them for certain, but Weavile is too powerful and would put the swan in far too much danger. * Colress (Plasma Frigate): With the exception of Beheeyem, everything here has super effective moves to hit Swanna with, and three out of five members have Electric coverage. Metang has Rock Slide, but it is still damn powerful and Swanna should not force its own hand in that fight; Surf is a 3HKO just like Rock Slide, but fighting Metang leaves Swanna vulnerable to untimely critical hits. Beheeyem is not entirely better, either, as its Special Attack is crazy high and the best Swanna can do is Brave Bird and hope for the kill if it is already damaged; it is not possible to one-shot it from full health, with the decent physical bulk it has - Swanna can only take it down from about two thirds down. * Shadow battle #1 (Plasma Frigate): Two Pawniard to start off with, and neither of them should be a problem for Swanna's Surf. The last Pokémon is an Absol, best left to another Pokémon, since its Night Slash will kill with a critical hit after Swanna is hurt from Brave Bird. * Shadow battle #2 (Plasma Frigate): Two Pawniard again, Swanna can Surf them just as it did before. Accelgor will be nuked by any Flying STAB Swanna may have; Brave Bird is best, as its Me First will then run off Accelgor's rather bad Attack, thus not damaging Swanna much. * Shadow battle #3 (Plasma Frigate): Even more Pawniard, use more Surf. Banette is frailer than Absol, and can be 2HKOed with Surf as well; however, it has Sucker Punch, so Swanna should either switch or heal if its health is low. * Black/White Kyurem (Giant Chasm): The white one is bulky and strong, the black one is bulky and strong and it also has Fusion Bolt. There is no hope for Swanna to survive. * Ghetsis (Giant Chasm): If healing items can be used at will and Swanna manages to not get hit by the Shadow Ball Special Defense drops, Cofagrigus can actually be used as setup material for Rain Dance and the later Hurricane sweep. Surf will also do considerable damage to Seismitoad and Toxicroak under the rain, and makes Drapion a much more viable opponent as well. All of these can be taken on without rain support as well, but the task becomes more risky and arduous in that case, and Swanna's vulnerability to critical hits increases considerably. Avoid Eelektross for obvious reasons, and do not fight Hydreigon because of Rock Slide; it outspeeds and outdamages Swanna, making the matchup very unfavourable. * Hugh (Victory Road): Bird for bird, Swanna should be able to take down Unfezant without much trouble, though it needs to be wary of its Swagger. If Swanna has a Persim Berry or another held item that heals confusion, instead, it could even profit of this move to get a massive Brave Bird power boost. The monkeys all have Rock Slide, and have slightly higher base Speed than Swanna, though this is only an issue if Swanna has a Speed-lowering nature; otherwise Swanna should still be able to outspeed, and take them down with Swagger-boosted Brave Bird or Hurricane, preferably under the rain - Hurricane will only 2HKO Simipour, though it also can only 2-3HKO Swanna with Rock Slide. Naturally, use Surf for Simisear. Both Emboar and Serperior should be easy, though the swan will need to brace itself for a probable Leaf Blade from the latter; use Hurricane if possible, due to Serperior's Coil and also the welcome added confusion chance. Resisting Samurott's STAB helps, but do not be rash as a critical Ice Beam is still nasty, and comes close to OHKOing. Steer clear from Bouffalant's Wild Charge. * Elite Four Shauntal (Pokémon League, Ghost-type): Swanna is great against Golurk, and should work alright with Chandelure, though in both cases it first needs to summon the rain. Cofagrigus offers a good opportunity here as well, working similarly to Ghetsis' own. However, Drifblim has Thunderbolt, and this could make Rain Dance turns end faster than Swanna would like them to; it is not advised to set up the rain again if it fades away before too long, as both Golurk and Chandelure are strong and need to be one-shot by Surf if Swanna wants to avoid getting hit by their massively powerful moves. Banette is a bit easier, and can be 2HKOed by anything that is as strong as Surf or stronger, but its Sucker Punch is still a warning for Swanna in low health. * Elite Four Marshal (Pokémon League, Fighting-type): "Brave Bird everything" does not work. Swanna can only OHKO Mienshao with Brave Bird, and Mienshao will outspeed if Swanna has a Speed-lowering nature, but not otherwise. Sawk has Sturdy and Rock Slide, which makes it impossible for Swanna unless entry hazards come to the rescue, and Conkeldurr has Stone Edge as well as much bulk. Nothing short of Hurricane under rain coverage (for accuracy purposes) can take Conkeldurr down before it crushes the swan, and even a Hurricane is not guaranteed to do so, as the outcome depends on Swanna's Special Attack. Lucario is not weak to Flying, but may still be two-shot as Swanna has the advantage of resisting both of its STABs; Swanna's HP bar should be kept high at all times, though, especially as Lucario will likely use Calm Mind and that will make Swanna need to Brave Bird on the second turn, as Surf can only 2HKO for certain under the rain. * Elite Four Grimsley (Pokémon League, Dark-type): Profit off Liepard to set up Rain Dance once again, then Swanna can wreck Krookodile with a Surf and Scrafty with two Hurricanes. Bisharp should preferably be left to something else, as even a rain-boosted Surf is not sufficient to OHKO it, and Swanna cannot live a critical Night Slash; possibly not even a regular one, as it will have already taken damage from the previous battles. Absol is fine only if the rain is still up and Swanna has a held item that boosts its Water moves, otherwise not. * Elite Four Caitlin (Pokémon League, Psychic-type): Musharna's Charge Beam and Gothitelle's Thunderbolt are the biggest problems for Swanna in this battle. Reuniclus can only be healstalled, as it will hit for serious damage with Psychic and a critical hit will outright off Swanna; Sigilyph is more workable, being 2HKOed by a rain-boosted Surf and only capable of 2HKOing Swanna with high-damage Psychic rolls, but do not risk it unless strictly necessary because a critical hit can still kill the swan. As for Metagross, it simply has to be avoided unless the rain is still up, which makes the Surf 2HKO possible. Zen Headbutt kills with a critical hit, but not otherwise, and Swanna is lucky enough to resist half of its moves. * Champion Iris (Pokémon League, Dragon-type): Druddigon has ThunderPunch, Archeops has Rock Slide and can outspeed Swanna, Lapras has Thunder and Haxorus is equipped with a Focus Sash and can Dragon Dance in Swanna's face, laughing at its Ice Beams. There really is not much to do here, except take down Aggron with Surf, hoping that one hit will be enough to do the trick (which is usually the case, but may not be with a Swanna that has below-average Special Attack); Swanna will not have time to set up Rain Dance without dying. The lead Hydreigon does not have Charge Beam in Challenge Mode, but its Special Attack is still really high and it will do a lot with Dragon Pulse regardless, guaranteeing the 2HKO; shooting for the 2HKO with Ice Beam is only possible with the Expert Belt attached, and that is assuming that Hydreigon will neither outspeed nor score a critical hit, both of which are very real risks. Unless there are somehow no other counters for any of Iris' listed Pokémon, Swanna should not be used here at all. * Post-Game: It is even rougher on Swanna than whatever came before. Use with even more caution. }} Moves Ducklett's initial moveset includes Aerial Ace, BubbleBeam, FeatherDance, and either Water Pulse or Aqua Ring depending on its level. While it does get access to other moves via the Move Reminder, they are not any better than its natural set. It learns Air Slash at level 27, which is a great upgrade and serves it well for a long time, until Brave Bird much later on; then, there comes Roost at level 30, usually not a good move if Swanna has access to healing items, though it can prove useful against Electric-types to get rid of half of its crippling weakness. At level 34, right before evolution, it learns Rain Dance; while Swanna will often not be bulky enough to take a hit and set this up, it goes very well with its Water STAB as well as Hurricane. After evolving it learns Tailwind, at level 40, but it is not worth it unless the whole team is slow. Its last level-up moves are Brave Bird at level 47 and Hurricane at level 55; Hurricane is only reliable if Swanna also has Rain Dance, but definitely worth considering on a specially oriented swan. As with any other Water-type, Ice Beam is a must have; interestingly, Swanna cannot learn Blizzard. The only physical Water option is Dive, which is sadly not that good and postgame-only; Swanna is better off with Surf or, for an additional 30% burn rate - which is not that reliable, but does not hurt as Swanna's Defense is low - it can go with Scald later during the game. Rain Dance is also available via TM, though that is a moot point, given it learns it early enough by level. Lastly, Fly is quite viable as an upgrade to Aerial Ace, while Swanna waits on Brave Bird or Hurricane. Tutors do not really have anything to offer to this line that is both worth learning, and not otherwise accessible. Sky Attack is strong, but the lack of Power Herb cripples it. Recommended moveset: Rain Dance, Hurricane, Surf, Ice Beam Recommended Teammates * Ground-types: Electric and Rock are both fantastically covered by Ground-types, leaving none of Swanna's weaknesses unattended; additionally, Swanna's typing protects Ground-types from their worst enemies, as well, though the part Flying-type does remove the Ice resistance. Ground-types in general, though, have great synergy with Swanna. ** Good Pokémon that fit this description include, among others: Steelix, Excadrill, Krookodile, Sandslash, Flygon, Camerupt, Gliscor, Mamoswine, Golurk * Physical tanks: Swanna's Defense is not good at all, and falls very short against Sturdy Rock-types or other Rock-types that can take a STAB move from it. Aside from that, plenty of physical attackers are out of Swanna's league, and require a proper answer from within the team. ** Good Pokémon that fit this description include, among others: Weezing, Magnezone, Gigalith, Steelix, Conkeldurr, Umbreon, Leafeon, Scrafty, Cofagrigus, Klinklang, Escavalier, Probopass, Aggron, Ferrothorn, Tangrowth, Gliscor, Bronzong, Bouffalant * Special tanks: Swanna's Special Defense is also bad, and this becomes a glaring issue against the several specially oriented Electric-types of Unova and the often present Thunderbolt coverage, especially on Psychic-types. A specially based tank must be ready to switch in against opponents that Swanna cannot handle. ** Good Pokémon that fit this description include, among others: Ampharos, Umbreon, Sandslash, Scrafty, Gothitelle, Reuniclus, Escavalier, Probopass, Claydol, Ferrothorn, Grumpig, Bronzong, Bouffalant Other Ducklett's stats Swanna's stats * What Nature do I want? Modest. Physically speaking, Swanna is really nothing special; its Attack is good, but it is not backed up by nearly enough physical coverage to justify it. Brave Bird is good, but not exceptional, coming off a relatively average Attack stat. Other natures work fine - some better, some worse - but Modest is the best. * Which Ability do I want? Both prevent the lowering of one stat which is unlikely to be lowered all that much in the game. So it really does not matter. * At what point in the game should I be evolved? Before Clay, if Swanna is going to partake in the battle; Ducklett is too frail to accomplish much in that gym. Otherwise, before Skyla is fine. * How good is the Ducklett line in a Nuzlocke? Very mediocre. Apart from getting Flying STAB, it is an overly average Water-type without a lot of coverage to offer, and an overall stat range that is lesser than average, as it is not bulky on either end but it also cannot hit very hard unless it manages to set up Rain Dance and sweep with it. Swanna is a Pokémon that is unlikely to find a proper use on most teams, especially teams that need more horsepower; it is a choice for players who want a challenge, or more diversity in their nuzlocke teams. * Weaknesses: Rock, Electric (x4) * Resistances: Fighting, Bug, Steel, Fire, Water * Immunities: Ground * Neutralities: Normal, Flying, Poison, Ghost, Grass, Psychic, Ice, Dragon, Dark Category:Black 2/White 2